Visitors to the Pondside Park baseball field will notice these blooming plants at the edge of the woods. This is a biennial herb of the genus Barbarae that belongs to the mustard family.

Barbarea vulgaris, commonly known as yellow rocket or winter cress, grows 12-24″ tall, has shiny dark green leaves and blooms from April-July with clusters of 4-petaled bright yellow flowers. It is native to Eurasia and is a naturalized weed in much of North America.

From Wikipedia : The genus name Barbarea derives from Saint Barbara, the patron saint of artillerymen and miners, as this plant in the past was used to soothe the wounds caused by explosions. The species Latin name vulgaris means “common”.